19/07/2013

Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Title: A Mother's Love
Chapter: 5
Author: Jade Tatsu

"WAR WITH WUTAI."

By themselves the words meant nothing but they explained everything. That night, after listening to the radio with the rest of the village, Raisa returned to her house. Prefunctionarily she prepared dinner and tucked Cloud into bed.

And then she went and sat in her chair and was quiet for a very long time.

She had been expecting this. She remembered this and it was exactly the same as her memories. Shinra had expended a lot of energy in ensuring that the world knew that they were at war, and in painting Wutai as being the perpetrators. Raisa had no doubt that it was Wutai who had made the initial declaration of war. They would have been given no choice.

That was hardly a concern. What mattered now was this would be the point at which she had to act. The war had lasted for a few years, so she felt safe in thinking that it would last at least that long here but that left her a year, two at the most in which to act.

The watcher needed to be strong if it was to be viable.

Slowly Raisa breathed in and out, closing her eyes and allowing herself to fall into a light trance. Her tasks now were easy. Firstly, she had to find the information. Then she had to verify that it was correct. Once she knew that, once she could prove it, then she could act.

The wolf whined and padded over to her, laying its head in her lap and Raisa smiled down at it, automatically raising her hands to scratch at the wolf's ears. It growled, low in its throat, the sound appreciative rather than challenging. In the basement there was one more thing that might help but her memories were not clear on it… Which meant her memories were not her own but came from the Lifestream.

A man with pale skin, red eyes and black hair, dressed all in red. A man who knew Sephiroth's birth mother, who had stood beside her Cloud, who was… Raisa paused as the memories, green tinged and laced with Lifestream, swirled around her. She knew, without knowing how she knew, that he would not be an easy man to work with. He had ideas, opinions and he tended to follow them, regardless of circumstance. He had been a Turk though events had left him with no lingering loyalty to Shinra. Raisa snorted lightly at that. In the end, most Turks had no loyalty to Shinra, they just had no other place to go. But would this man help or hinder her? Would he agree with her plan or think it merely reckless?

She thought about that, long into the night before Raisa laughed at herself. It didn't matter. In the pursuit of a changed future, she would commit murder if necessary but she would not, could not murder those who had helped. Regardless of what happened, she had to wake that man because he would not be safe if she left him there during the first part of her plan. And there really was no reason why the first part of her plan would fail, so she had to wake him up. The nebulous idea that had driven her future self back in time had incubated, growing, adjusting and now was a full plan, lodged in her mind with the steps laid out before her like stepping stones on a path. She would follow them, and she would hope that the weight of them was enough to change the future.

And Raisa would pray that those who died would forgive her, for she could see no other way.

Despite her hopes, it still took Raisa almost two years to find the information she required. In that time, of course the little village of Nibelhiem noticed that Shinra was no longer in the Mansion. Raisa shrugged off the accusative glares and explained her visits to the Mansion as terms of her employment. Shinra had left, but she was tasked with keeping the place ready in case they needed to return. She altered her visit habits though allowing herself to be seen entering the Mansion once a week and allowing herself to be seen going with Cloud to the mountains at other times.

It was difficult on Cloud and Raisa did as much as she could to help him, but often now she had to spend the night in the Mansion so that she could continue searching so that the villagers would not see her coming and going to a place they now knew she should not be. She explained as much as she could to him and he seemed to understand but he was nine… How much did a nine year old really understand? To help him, so that he had some company, she'd even tried asking Zangan to give him some lessons. The old Master had shaken his head, not in an unkind way but in a way that the reply was not to be questioned. "I'm not the one to teach him," the man had stated before walking off, leaving Raisa more confused than ever. There was nothing she could do about that and so she made a deal with Cloud. He could go to the highest peaks but only if he brought back herbs for the village.

The deal was too easy, she knew but it would keep him happy and it did. But there were times when he missed his Mother. The explanation that this was necessary for the future was cold at night when his Mother was not there to tuck him in. But Cloud never showed his tears. He worked harder instead, trained more. He became as strong as the bovines, the very rare mountain cattle that roamed the hills and there were days when he was running that he thought he could fly. And he became as nimble and as fast as the wolf in leaping and turning, in running over the rough ground of the mountain. No one, not even Tifa, could keep up with him and so he explored everywhere on the mountain. He knew the places the dragons nested, he knew where the wolf packs roamed, he knew where the best patches of herbs grew and where the planet sang so clearly that it almost broke his heart.

He went back to that spot, high in the mountains, many times. The seclusion comforted him and whispering words he could hear from the mako fountain sang to him and Cloud laughed playing with his wolf in the thin mountain sunlight, watched over by the planet.

Outside of Nibelheim the war raged and the legend of S.O.L.D.I.E.R.s grew. They were Shinra's elite; the best of the best, faster and stronger than a normal human and able to take on monsters or the hordes of Wutai seemingly by themselves. And they were lead by three legends.

Genesis of the Red Blade and the endless quotations of Loveless. His attacks were lightning fast and he was like the wind, a ghost, never where you expected him to be on the battlefield. But he could still melee with the best of them.

Angeal, the solid older brother. The man who could stand and deliver and fight, and fight and fight, until all around him was still. He was someone everyone could rely upon and unlike Genesis he was approachable.

And finally Sephiroth. The war god. The man who could be both the ghost of speed and the avatar of destruction. A man who could walk out of battle without a single hair out of place, who could survey the plans of the enemy with a single glance and destroy them. Shinra's finest creation.

Raisa had read the news, she had heard it on the radio. Shinra were careful to portray their Generals as akin to gods but she could hear more than they wanted the public to know. Wutai was not falling easily. They were fighting harder and harder and their strikes were becoming more desperate. Environmental terrorists aided them, striking deep into Shinra territory and the war seemed that it would continue to drag for years. It wouldn't. She knew that, but it would last a few more years. The aftermath it would leave Wutai so crippled that they could not fight, could not watch and she needed to prevent that.

It was late in the summer, just after Cloud's birthday when she accompanied him up to the high plateau. She wanted to explain things, as much as she could and that was the only place she knew she could guarantee privacy. The Mansion was meant to be secure but it would be just her luck that a bug was still active. And her house should have been secure but she knew what Nibelhiem was like, and she knew just how easy it was to 'accidentally' overhear something. The village grape vine thrived on such over heard conversations. The only safe place was in the middle of no where… Not that Cloud would understand much of what she was going to explain but she had to try because when the time came to move, she would not have the time to explain it then.

That day on the high plateau with Cloud's wolf gambolling around them and a small picnic she had packed spread out on the blanket she explained. Raisa told Cloud of the future that would have been. She told Cloud of the Generals, Genesis and Angeal and the roles they would play. She told him of his friend, Zack and the sacrifice he would make. She told him of the red man who was under the mansion, of all the sides of Avalanche and the friends he would make. And she told Cloud of the woman Aerith and how much she loved the world. She warned him about Shinra, about Hojo and about all the monsters that lurked in the dark. She told him of Jenova, making the alien more than just a name. She told Cloud of Sephiroth and how he would fall. Her son didn't worship the Shinra General this time. He had known Sephiroth's name before it even appeared in the randomly delivered paper and he had known of his strength and his deeds. Raisa had been unable to resist telling her son some things when he begged her for more information about the one winged angel but his eyes darkened when he heard the future and his face frowned.

But most importantly, she told him how she wanted to change it all.

For a long time after she finished speaking Cloud just looked at her, and then he closed his eyes and Raisa felt her heart contract. He might only be ten years old, but he was hers and she needed him to trust her. This was all for him. All the time alone, everything she had done, she had done it for him. She would do it for him.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was different. She wasn't sure how but it left her worried and they stared at each other, neither talking until Cloud cleared his throat a little. "So… what happens now?"

Raisa sagged with relief, sending a million prayers of thanks to the planet. He believed her. The crazy story with nothing but her word… he believed her!

Then a more rational part of her mind intruded. Of course he believed her. He was her son. What child did not believe their parents? At least in youth. It would be up to her to prove to him that her words were true.

It would be up to her to prove to the world that her words were true. His trusting eyes made what she had to ask now all the more difficult. She thought it would work. In theory it should be relatively easy but this would be the first time she attempted it and she had read the notes left behind by Shinra. She knew how many times they failed. She wanted to enhance something. Not Cloud, she would not risk him and she could not risk herself. What point was there in enhancing herself? No, that left only one living creature she could attempt on and if she failed… Cloud would rightfully hate her forever.

"Cloud," Raisa began after gathering her courage.

"Hmm?" He smiled up at her.

She gulped. This bit was harder than just explaining. "I'm going to need to test it."

"Test what?"

Raisa almost laughed. Oh her Cloud. He had understood but he hadn't yet grasped everything. It didn't matter. She was actually prouder this way. He shouldn't have to understand the cesspool that was politics and adult life. Not yet. Not while he was still her little boy. "I have stayed in Nibelheim because I needed to learn things. And one of those things was the process to enhance someone. But I will need to prove that I know how to do it. That means I need to test it."

"On me?"

"No!" Though Cloud's conclusion was the obvious answer it was not something she would allow. She had read the notes, she knew what happened to someone if you enhanced them while they were a child… How Sephiroth had survived was still a mystery to her. No… how he had survived was easy, how he had grown up, that was a mystery and the amount of stimulants and growth hormones Shinra must have used on him so that their General became a man. The thought was still staggering.

Enhancement convinced the body that it wanted to be at its peak. The cells all strived to be there and once they reached what they knew were their peak, then they stayed there, becoming stronger and stronger until one became superhuman. If you enhanced a child, someone who had not yet started puberty then the body would be stuck in childhood because without the hormones and the changes triggered at puberty, then that's where the body thought its peak was. If you enhanced someone in puberty, then the body would push to finish as soon as possible, providing you went slow enough. If you didn't, they'd be trapped in some sort of half body, amazingly strong, but never completely mature, at least in their body. That's why Shinra was choosing young men to make into S.O.L.D.I.E.R.s. They would be preserved in their mature body, and if by some chance they were still in the tail end of puberty, then Shinra's process was slow enough that their body would have the time to rush them through it.

And all of that meant was that she would not, could not enhance Cloud. "No Cloud, not you."

His face fell and Raisa knew she had to give a reason. Surprisingly, she decided to go with the truth. "If I enhance you now," she said, acting as if the process was not untested and she deliberately suppressed the memory of reading how many 'tests' Shinra went through to perfect their methodology, "you would be stuck as you are. Always a child. So no Cloud, not until you are older."

"Then…" he frowned and she was hard pressed not to scoop him into her arms at the sheer cuteness of his expression. "Then who?"

That was the question. Who could she enhance? The answer was easy and she'd known since this began who she would be using as a test subject. Really from the day the wolf came home with Cloud she knew what its purpose was. "Wolf."

"Wolf?"

"I'll make him worthy of the name Fenrir."

For an instant Raisa thought Cloud would object and she did not relish the prospect of enforcing parental authority and forcing him to allow wolf to be her test subject for enhancement. That would not end well, even if everything went as it was supposed to… and the blonde woman didn't even want to think what it would be like if the process failed. She managed not to shudder, but it was a close thing. And then Cloud didn't say no, he said something worse, his blue eyes wide with innocence.

"I think we should let wolf decide."

Oh no… Oh no, oh no, oh no. Let the wolf decide? Raisa already knew how that would turn out. There was no way, absolutely no way she could convince the wolf to come with her to the Mansion. The animal would take one sniff of the place and quite rightly run. But she couldn't tell Cloud that and she couldn't let him think she wouldn't agree to this or he'd see it as coercion. And with her son believing her, at least on most of her story, this was not the time she wanted to risk his anger. She needed him. By the planet she needed him. "All right," she heard herself agree in the way that had happened a few times before when she spoke without really knowing what was said. "But I'm going to need you to come with me, so that you can explain to wolf what everything is and why he shouldn't be afraid," she added with a smile.

Seriously Cloud nodded at her, before reaching out to embrace his wolf who had come trotting back at the sound of his 'name'. The great animal licked Cloud in greeting and politely sniffed at Raisa's hand. She smiled at the wolf truly noticing for the first time how large the animal had gotten. Cloud was not that small but wolf easily stood even with his shoulder and suddenly Raisa had the insane image of Cloud riding his wolf high into the mountains to hide from her.

"We should go," his small voice broke into her thoughts.

"Cloud?" Raisa asked, looking at her son. His face was twisted in light concentration as he looked up to the mountain.

"There's a storm coming," he said softly.

"Thundersnow?"

"No, just a storm," he said, looking back at her with a smile. "But we should go now."

Raisa nodded her agreement. Even a storm on the mountain could be deadly and it was best to avoid it. Deftly she began packing up the few things they had brought for the picnic, feeding the few scraps to the wolf before she folded up the linen and tucked them back into her apron before rising to follow Cloud back down the mountain.

They waited a few days after that. Cloud understood now a bit of why she had been forced to leave him alone for so long and so he appreciated the days she spent with him. Despite searching for the last two years for the last bits of information she needed, she had spent more time with Cloud since Shinra had left than she had when she was working.

She'd come to know her boy, know his quirks and his likes, know him and his wolf. She had loved every minute of it but she knew that it would come to an end soon. The instant the war had started she knew she was on borrowed time. But it only made the time all the more precious. Once she enhanced the wolf they would have to leave. The risk of the villagers seeing was simply too high.

And she would not allow herself to think that she could fail.

The Raisa of the future had known in a vague way what was involved in enhancement. Those in the Lifestream had tried to explain to her but such precise information was not her own and much had been lost in the transfer leaving Raisa to search for the missing pieces. That's why she knew when she read the notes of the scientists what was right and what was mere speculation. Over the years she had filled in the blanks in her mind, building up the instructions and the dosages and everything else required to enhance a human. It had been laborious. Shinra just didn't leave out step by step instructions and even once she found the basement, she'd had to sift her way through copious amounts of text finding the truth.

A lot of that text dealt with Sephiroth and Jenova and had made them seem akin to gods. But as she'd read further, delved deeper she'd begun to notice discrepancies. Texts which were quoted by other papers as saying one thing, didn't actually say that at all! They said the complete opposite or something equally confusing. At first, there was no rhyme or reason to the discrepancies but then she started marking them before sorting the hand written notes into piles according to penmanship. Most of the lies came from one hand. And when she checked further, the other writers had perpetuated the mistake by referring to the initial lie. They had never gone back to check the original text.

Raisa had done the same with the printed text, as much as she was able to. It was difficult to determine author on some of those random pages but the trend seemed to continue.

The scrawl that originated the lies belonged to one man and her memories told her who it was before she even checked. But the blonde woman confirmed it anyway, just to be sure, and sure enough the hand was Hojo's. It just strengthened her resolve and she took samples, bits of some of the obvious lies and bits of the more subtle insidious lies, those that you really had to be concentrating to see. She never planned on calling Hojo a liar to his face. That would be most unwise. But she never knew when something could cause a deviation from what she wanted and it always paid to be prepared. If nothing else having the papers would prove her authenticity.

In between the lies she gleaned the information she required. A step here, a dosage there. It was spread out and while it was dangerous, during the years of her search Raisa kept her own notes. She'd had too, to sort out the lies but now she kept them to document the process.

Those notes where what she referred to now. It was not pages and pages of text. Enhancement was actually sickenly easy. Most of Shinra's Reactor workers were at least slightly enhanced… the very first ones anyway, those who were still alive. It really just involved Mako. For the best results, you needed a stabilising agent, something that allowed the body to better interact with Mako. All creatures of the Planet could interact with Mako and the Lifestream but that interaction naturally occurred when they were dead. Living and interacting with Mako was dangerous and that's why you needed the stabilising agent. Raisa knew that Shinra used Jenova. Originally they used the creature under the mistaken belief that she was an Ancient, but Hojo's notes had been clear and he hadn't been lying. They knew she wasn't an Ancient. They'd know that for a long time. At least Hojo had. She was something else. She was the calamity. And she was the reason the Ancients were all but extinct.

Raisa had samples of Jenova… many, many samples had been left behind in the basement. But she had a sample of something else and as far as she was able to verify, it was genuine. She would use that.

Cloud had helped her get the wolf into the Mansion and had calmed his companion on the trip down to the Basement, whispering into the animal's ear all sorts of reassurances. It seemed to help, though the wolf was curious about the smells and earlier, in the upper levels of the Mansion had seemed to want to investigate. Down here his ears were laid back and his steps were tentative. Raisa didn't blame the wolf. She had felt… still felt that way herself about the Basement, but she was familiar with it. She'd cleaned the stench of Mako and blood away as best she could but it still permeated everything.

The wolf was on one of the examination tables and Cloud was sitting beside it, petting the animal gently, running his hands through the thick fur. Raisa had the few pages of her instructional notes spread out on the desk and they were the only papers there. It had been a risk, but she had cleaned everything away earlier, trusting that Shinra would not return, or that if they did, her claim of illiteracy would hold the execution. She'd had to clean to sort out the mess and the lies and to know what she had read and what she hadn't read. The vial she had found so long ago was sitting there as well, next to a clean syringe and several large beakers filled with various liquids. One had saline solution, one distilled water and the last glowed slightly, liquid Mako.

Up close, the wolf was a magnificent specimen. His coat was that odd brown grey that was found on Nibel wolves and he had ripples, almost blond lines of fur running through the others, defining the pieces of his body. They ran down from his eyebrows running down the wolf's neck and over his chest to disappear between the forelegs. Others ran over his haunches and down over his belly to disappear beneath him. And tufts of darker blond hair were on the tips of his ears. His claws were long and well formed and his teeth were gleaming white and sharp. Raisa knew, just by looking at him, at his size and his strength that if wolf had not been running with her son, this wolf would have been a pack leader by now. The way his golden eyes just watched her, taking in every movement were too serious to be anything but a pack leader. Yet Cloud was his pack and his leader and the wolf apparently saw nothing wrong with that.

It would have been best if the wolf was restrained but while Cloud had managed to get the animal into the Mansion, Raisa knew wolf would never accept chains. Either this would work and he would sleep or otherwise be placid during the enhancement, or she and Cloud would find themselves facing a large, enraged animal in what was a very confined space.

"Is Wolf ready?" Raisa asked, tapping the syringe. The best enhancement results would require multiple injections, spaced out over a year. The body and mind needed time to accustom themselves to the alterations and enhancement injections too close together left a strong body with a mind unable to accept and access its power… if the Mako didn't poison the mind entirely. Shinra had three levels in their S.O.L.D.I.E.R.s and while Raisa didn't know the exact boundaries between them all, she thought the levels were indicative of the different levels of enhancement. This one injection would make wolf far more than his wild brethren, would give him gently glowing golden eyes and the ability to heal flesh wounds as if they were nothing but there would be things that could be improved by further enhancement. With this one injection, if wolf broke a bone, which would be harder than normal, it would heal quickly, over the course of a week, not over the course of an hour. If she had the chance to give him more injections, that healing time would be reduced. But this one injection would be enough to verify that she could do what she claimed. That was all she was looking for now.

"I think so," Cloud said, smiling back at her and wolf just laid his head down on his fore legs, his golden eyes unblinking as he watched her.

"All right. Then let us begin," Raisa said taking a deep breath. "I'm going to inject wolf with this," she began explaining, gesturing towards the syringe. "It's quite a simple mix, but Shinra makes it seem far more difficult than it is. It's salt, water, Mako and a stabilising agent. Shinra use Jenova," Raisa continued and was well pleased when Cloud stiffened at the name but she allowed herself no reaction. "I'm using something else, something a lot more natural. I hope that makes the process easier."

"Easier?"

"Stablier. Most S.O.L.D.I.E.R.s are injected with Mako and Jenova, and they are given a 'dead' sample of Jenova, though I think the Firsts might have live Jenova cells. The Mako enhances their bodies, the Jenova cells enhance their minds, giving them what they call a sixth sense. But it's alien and it has its own agenda. Even if nothing has happened yet, I know it will. I explained to you what is going to happen if nothing changes. That's why I'm going to use a sample from an Ancient, a Cetra. They worked with the Planet, helping it, interpreting its cries and they fought Jenova. Cetra's lived in harmony with the Planet, so the sixth sense that they give, the enhancement to the mind should give a greater connection to the Planet."

Cloud nodded. He didn't understand everything but he understood enough of it. Copying from Shinra, his Mother had developed the same technique to make living beings stronger, but her technique should also give them a greater understanding and ability to commune with the planet. He smiled to himself. There were times, up on the high plateau, near the Mako fountain when he could almost hear the planet. Perhaps it was just fanciful wishing but something make him feel secure there which was one of the reasons he liked going so high up the mountain.

He knew his mum didn't think he understood what she was doing, trying to change the future, but he knew more than she thought he did. He could feel the truth of her words. The feeling was odd… and it wasn't something he could really describe. He could tell when someone was lying, even if they thought what they were saying was the truth. And he could tell when someone was telling the truth. When his Mum had explained everything, she had been telling the truth, both what she believed to be the truth and the actual truth. He wouldn't say the planet confirmed her words, but it had whispered beneath his hearing, soothing his surprise and confirming even the difficult parts of her tale. Cloud didn't understand anything of the science but he understood the situation. Unless something was changed, then the future would be painful, both for him and the Planet. The changes his Mother wanted to put in place would be bloody, but at least there would be a future beyond the blood. He couldn't say that he could hear the planet, but he could sometimes feel it, or he thought he could. It was desperate. It wanted the change his Mother represented and Cloud was both humbled and proud of his Mum. He didn't know everything, but he knew enough.

That's why he had done his best to convince Wolf that this was something that needed to be done, though now that he was here, so deep underground, he was unsure. Cloud had thought that underground, surrounded by earth, he would be able to feel the Planet better, and so he would be able to keep Wolf calm. But he couldn't feel the planet at all. The further they had gotten into the Mansion the more distant the feeling of the Planet had become, until now he couldn't even feel a whisper. It felt… It felt wrong and Cloud could tell that wolf had picked up on his nerves. It was one of the reasons he was petting wolf so extensively. They had no choice now and had to continue.

He did not like this place at all. The rooms felt used. The presence of people was strong here, so the rooms should be warm. But they were cold. It was as if the people here had been impersonal and only here because they had to be. They left only cold emotions layered in the room. The large cylinder in the corner did not so much as occupy space as it brooded in the room. It was subtle but it was the focus of so much here and Cloud could not imagine what its purpose was. Resolutely he turned his eyes from it before nodding to his Mother, indicating that he was ready, that wolf was ready in as much as they could be.

"I'll be as gentle as I can," Raisa said, stepping up to wolf and Cloud when she saw her son's acknowledgement to continue. She allowed wolf to sniff at the syringe and he didn't seem too fussed about the smell which was comforting though she knew it would not like the prick of the needle or the liquid inside. Please let him remain calm, Raisa sent up a silent prayer but whether she was referring to Cloud or his wolf, she did not know.

Firmly she grasped one of wolf's forelegs, pulling it towards her slightly and deftly she shaved a small patch of fur away. The mix could be injected either intravenously or intramuscularly but it was better intravenously so she would try that first. She tried not to gulp when wolf flashed sharp teeth at her. He did not like the bare patch on his leg but Raisa used her fingers to sooth the skin, feeling for a vein. Now came the really difficult bit. Medicine in Nibelheim involved crushing herbs and drinking them with copious amounts of beer or the spirit they made from freezing lesser quality wine and skimming off what did not freeze. What did she know about needles and how to use them?

As gently as she could Raisa pushed the needle into Wolf's leg. The animal whined but held still under Cloud's soothing touch but she could feel the stiff muscles. There was more resistance than she thought there would be as she slowly depressed the plunger but eventually all the glowing liquid was injected into wolf.

It was a surprise when wolf began to twitch but thankfully she had removed the needle. Having it broken in his leg would not have been good. Cloud slipped off the table, but kept his hands on wolf, trying to comfort the animal as he continued to twitch. The wolf's yellow eyes opened and fixed on Raisa and she shuddered. She could see the accusation there, the pain but wolf made no sound. Raisa breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good but there was a long night ahead of them.

Cloud didn't know what was wrong. Everything seemed to be going okay. His mum had injected wolf and his friend was lying still being patted. Then everything began to hurt. It wasn't the pain of sitting in the one place for too long. It was painful everywhere and Cloud frowned, gritting his teeth against the sensation. He didn't want to disturb wolf when his friend was going through so much more. His mum had explained it, but Cloud had seen her doubt. He knew this wasn't as safe as she wanted him to believe. He'd still allowed it though because it felt right.

But this didn't feel right. This pain and with a groan Cloud curled into himself, suppressing his tears.

"Cloud!" His mother cried out, rushing to him. She had been resting in the chair at the desk, watching over them both but when he moved, she moved. He was ten, too big to be picked up but Raisa did it anyway, trying to get Cloud to uncurl so that she could see what was wrong. It didn't make sense! He had been fine earlier and there was nothing left in the basement which should be affecting him. So why was he in pain?

"Mum," he croaked and Raisa's eyes widened when she looked into her son's blue eyes. They were shot through with red and from the tone of his voice she could feel he was in agony.

"Cloud, no!" she made the denial, not even sure what she was trying to deny as she lifted her boy to the desk, sweeping her notes aside to lay him there. She put one hand on his forehead, testing for fever and found that he was burning. What was going on? "Cloud, stay with me. Focus on my voice."

For a moment that seemed to work and Cloud looked up at her, his eyes visibly gripping her and the feeling of his presence flared around her. Then another sound intruded and two sets of blue eyes opened wide at what it meant.

Raisa didn't even think as she threw herself over Cloud. It was instinctual and she felt relieved even as she screamed in pain. Long gashes were opened down her back and side as the wolf lunged at her, his claws digging through her clothes and into her skin to draw blood.

"Wolf, no!" Cloud cried out though his voice was soft and in the noise of the lab, the cries and growls and the breaking of glass it did not carry. Raisa hissed, shifting slightly as she tried to look around for a weapon but all she saw was the flash of movement from the corner of one eye and again threw herself over Cloud.

The wolf again drew blood and Raisa couldn't help throwing her head back as she screamed. It was dangerous, exposing her throat but the pain was too much. The wolf's claws raked down her back and she felt as if she was on fire.

"No, wolf! No!" Cloud cried again, struggling in his mother's grip. "Wolf, stop!" Cloud pushed his pain aside to make the command strong but wolf didn't hear and all Cloud could see, from the confines of his mother's arms was a confusing blur of motion. He could hear wolfs snaps and snarls and growls and feel his mother's laboured breathing. He could smell blood and knew that it was his mother's but her grip did not weaken and she shifted herself so that she covered him all, moving against the wall as she shielded him.

"My fault," Raisa said.

"No, not your fault," Cloud replied though his voice was a whisper.

Wolf growled again, crouching down.

"My pain, my penance," Raisa continued, her eyes screwed shut and Cloud didn't know what she was talking about. "Argh!" She screamed again as the wolf lunged in and nipped at her legs.

There came another growl and Cloud knew that sound. It was the one wolf made just before it was going to leap in for the kill. "No, wolf! No!" he screamed, his voice strong no matter his own pain that still seared through him. "Stop wolf!"

"Please," Raisa begged. "Just let him be okay," she said as she curled around Cloud, pushing his head down to her chest and holding him safe.

There was the skitter of claws on the stone as the wolf raced towards them, the growl of the animal leaping and then… nothing. Nothing but a startled yelp.

She expected pain. She expected blood and the sound of tearing flesh and cloth. But there was no pain and while the gashes laid open by wolf's claws hurt, they were not accompanied by others. She couldn't hear the wolf and for a moment Raisa wondered if she had lost her hearing but a glance down at Cloud showed that he was equally confused and was struggling in her grasp as he tried to break free.

"A snivelling child and a milk maid? That's what I get woken up for?"

Thanks for reading and feel free to give me something to read in return!

Jade